What is I-O?

Industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology is the scientific
study of the workplace. Rigor and methods of psychology are
applied to issues of critical relevance to business,
including talent management, coaching, assessment,
selection, training, organizational development,
performance, and work-life balance.

Pro-Social I-O—I-O Leading the Way

Lisa Steelman
Florida Tech

You are reading this right now because you kind of like I-O psychology, or maybe you really like I-O psychology, and you are interested in what’s new in the field and in what TIP has to offer this quarter. One thing that is not new in the field of I-O psychology is the appreciation of helping behavior at work, and the value of pro-social behavior in all of life’s activities. We all know the research suggesting a connection between helping/being helped and well-being, job satisfaction and performance at all levels. This is why I am always gratified to see I-O psychologist who role model helping and pro-social behaviors. In this issue of TIP, as in all issues, I-O psychologists come together to share information and help each other, as well as highlight the activities of SIOP members on behalf of I-O psychologists and the society.

Feature Articles

Leading off, Joel Lefkowitz eloquently argues that our field needs to be guided by a more concrete and humanitarian system of values, in addition to other well-known guiding principles. Next, Rob Tett, Cameron Brown, Benjamin Walser, Daniel Simonet, Jonathan Davis, Scott Tonidandel, and Michelle Hebl provide the first in a series of reports on a recent I-O program benchmarking study conducted by SIOP’s Education and Training Committee. This first article provides information about the data collection, sample information, and some initial comparative information for I-O master’s and doctoral programs in both psychology and business departments. Keep an eye out for follow up articles in TIP covering programmatic aspects such as admissions requirements, curriculum, thesis/dissertation procedures, student funding and performance expectations. Kristl Davison, R. H. Hamilton, and Mark Bing discuss recent issues with using Facebook and other social networking sites for employment screening. Vanessa Edkins and Lindsey Lee report on a study that examines how subtle forms of racism and meritocratic world view may impact the verdicts reached by jurors in EEO cases. Finally, Tom Stetz provides a lighthearted view of the importance of good preparation for the employment interview.

Editorial Departments

As always, editorial columns cover a wide range of topics from diverse columnists. This exemplifies the diversity of the SIOP membership, as well as the range of work I-O psychologists do and the contributions we make. Equifinality still reigns; there is no one right or best way to do much of anything in our field. These columns continue to provide readers with an opportunity to learn different perspectives and approaches. I do want to note, however, that the opinions provided in these columns are the opinions of the author/s alone and do not necessarily reflect the general consensus of the membership.

I am pleased to announce a new series of articles cowritten by Ashley Walvoord and Liu-Qin Yang called Yes You Can! I-Os and Funded Research. This series emerged from a recent Science Advocacy Survey in which SIOP members revealed their interest in having targeted resources and/or education available to make external funding more accessible (see Allen, Oswald, & Cho’s report of survey results in the July 2012 TIP). The purpose of the column is to inspire increased I-O participation in the pursuit of external research funding by educating readers about strategies and opportunities for I-O funded research. Each column will discuss an issue associated with external funding, interview someone who has successfully navigated this issue, and provide a listing of up-to-date resources relevant to pursuit of funded research. In this inaugural column you can read an informative and motivational interview with Steve Kozlowski.

Rob Silzer and Chad Parson (Practice Perspectives) examine trends in graduate education over the past 40 years. Looking at cross-sectional member data from 2011 and grouping SIOP members by year of graduation, they report on graduate major, graduate institution, and work focus of SIOP members graduating in different decades. This look at current member data nicely complements Tett et al.’s first report on graduate training programs in I-O psychology.

The Practitioners’ Forum is now in the able hands of Tracy Kantrowitz, chair of the Professional Practice Committee. She presents some thoughts on how the I-O practitioner role has changed, along with an update on some of the goals and initiatives of the Professional Practice Committee enacted to keep pace with changes in practice. Special thanks to Rich Cober for his insights and contributions to TIP over the past many years.Alex Alonso and Mo Wang’s International Practice Forum provides an interesting discussion of common selection procedures currently in use in Chile. Stu Carr (Pro-Social I-O Quo Vadis?) interviews Telma Viale, Director of the International Labor Organization (ILO), on the Decent Work Agenda endorsed by the ILO and United Nations. Lori Foster Thompson, Alexander Gloss, and M. K. Ward shine their Global I-O Spotlight on the Philippines in a compelling piece by Gina Hechanova who identifies some of the challenges associated with practicing I-O in developing countries. Paul Muchinsky (The High Society) waxes philosophical on a compulsion many of us are familiar with: list making. TIP welcomes Kevin Mahoney, chair of the History Committee, and John Buckner to The History Corner. Their first installment takes us back to Morris Viteles’ work with the Yellow Cab Company and considers the age-old question: Why are there so few women cab drivers? A shout-out and thanks to Paul Levy, outgoing Chair of the History Committee and contributor to TIP’sHistory Corner.

Art Gutman and Eric Dunleavy discuss a number of cases and settlements in the areas of the EEOC’s clamp down on harassment, employer mistakes relating to ADA rules for use of medical exam results after a conditional job offer, alleged misuse of cognitive/ability tests, and the “cat’s paw” theory of liability On the Legal Front. In the Academics’ Forum,Tori Culbertson interviews a number of scholars on the costs and benefits of having a targeted research program versus opportunistically conducting research in a number of different areas, aka “dabbling.” Marcus Dickson discusses his thoughts on the research–practice balance of I-O doctoral programs in Max. Classroom Capacity. In this issue TipTopics columnists Alison Carr and Jared Ferrell pick up the torch and discuss avenues through which graduate students can gain applied experience. Tom Giberson andSuzanne Miklos discuss the science and practice associated with cognitive ability testing in Good Science–Good Practice, and Milt Hakel announces a new graduate student scholarship in honor of George Thornton in the Foundation Spotlight.

News & Reports

Once again, there is a lot going on with SIOP and its members. You are indeed active, productive and pro-social! John Scott provides an update on SIOP’s United Nations agenda and the activities of the new UN team. Eden King, Robin Cohen, and Liberty Munson preview SIOP 2013 in Houston, Texas, and Shonna Waters shares the APA 2013 call for submissions. SIOP members continue to contribute to news stories on workplace topics. See Clif Boutelle’s SIOP Members in the News.

Finally, as my term as editor of TIP comes to a close, nominations and self-nominations for the next editor are now being solicited. The goal of TIP is to provide articles, news, and information relevant to scientists, practitioners, educators, and students of I-O psychology, and be a valued resource for all SIOP members as a source for news about the society, as well as relevant, up-to-the-minute articles of interest. TIP strives to build a reader experience based upon accessible, intelligent, and relevant content. Nominations can be sent to Allen Church (allanhc@aol.com). See the full call for nominations in this issue of TIP.